Double spout and bridge vessel with bird/man
Double spout and bridge vessel with bird/man
Date40 BCE-500 CE
Mediumceramic
Dimensionsobject: 4 1/2 × 5 in. (11.4 × 12.7 cm)
ClassificationMATERIAL CULTURE
Credit LineSBMA, Gift of Larry and Judi Anderson
Object number2004.57.4
Subject(s)
- bird
- animal
- men
- mythology
Collection
- Pre-Columbian
- Ancient Americas
On View
Not on viewCollections
Label TextNasca artists used the greatest number of colors in all of ancient Peruvian ceramic art. These were painted onto the surface of the clay before it was fired and remain vivid today. The decoration was highly symbolic, with many animals, mythological and human figures, and geometric designs including stars, heads, chevrons, crosses, and undulating lines. Images were largely symmetrical and could have elaborate layers of different shapes. The figure here is most likely a harpy, a composite mythological creature with the head of a human and the body of a bird.
Moche II, Early Intermediate
2nd century BCE - 5th century CE
